Product: Fortte Lateral Pouch for 8700, in Brandy Brown leather with fixed leather wrapped clip.
Price: $40.99 USD ($32.99 for case + $8.00 for custom color scheme)
URL: www.fortte.com

ATTENTION: New discount from Fortte!
Online Coupon: Emboss your name for FREE with the purchase of a case from a special color collection. Use this code: BBF63F


To read my review of the Fortte Vertical Pouch case, click here.

Review:
This case was shipped in a nice display box, wrapped in plastic. This one is a custom color pattern called Brandy Brown. The main portion of the case is a dark reddish-brown color, and the flap and back portions are a dark tan color. The inside has a thick felt lining offering lots of protection. The flap has a magnetic snap closure with the logo embossed and their small metal emblem above it.

Click images to enlarge:




It has the fixed, leather wrapped belt clip, and it is very strong and will fit almost any sized belt. It has a very low profile when worn, and does not rub into your hip at all. Overall, very easy to wear with little notice it is there. The case has a sleeper magnet that works perfectly, allowing you to insert the device either face in or face out - your choice.




Rating: I give this case 4 out of 5 Berries.




Conclusion: This case is another example of Fortte's strive for perfection. You can tell by the excellent materials and design that they really care about what they provide to customers. For those lateral pouch lovers out there, your search for the ultimate case ends here. Except for those lefties out there - this case design is made with the righties in mind, so I strongly suggest you lefties contact the manufacturer and request additioanl magnet placements.

Pros: Very stylish, exceptional materials, customizeable color combinations, perfect low profile belt clip, affordable, sleeper magnet allows insertion in either direction.

Cons: Some may not like a gold emblem on the front of their case, otherwise it's almost perfect, aside from magnet placement only being for right-handed people.

Thanks for the review Seattle, I just ordered one.

I have one on it's way! Looking forward to it!

Thanks!

Seattle18,

I just received this case for my father and myself. We aren't confident that the sleeper magnet is working. Which way should the BB be inserted?

Thanks!

It should work regardless of which way you insert the device. My case allows me to insert either direction. Put it in there and then pull it slightly away from the case and peek to see if the screen is on or off.

Ah-ha. I have found the issue. We wear our BB's on our left hip. The case is designed to have the BB with the top facing to the right as you are looking at the clasp on the case. If you insert the BB 180 degrees in the opposite direction with the top facing to the left the sleeper magnet does not work. The BB stays on.

As a design note, Fortte should have placed magnets on both sides.

A single magnet can still do the job, so long as it is strong enough, it will work on either side of the device. Like I said earlier, the Fortte I have allows insertion in either direction.

Interesting. I will have to call Fortte on this. I tested as you suggested and it definitely did not go to sleep when turned the other way.

Thank you for your help!

Great Review - I've just ordered mine. Thanks.

Hmm I miust have missed this review before I ordered mine. I am expecting mine any day now. I actually asked Fortte to forego the inclusion of their logos on the outside of my case.

Just wanted to update my previous post and say that I received the case but I am not too thrilled about it and am looking to sell now. It seems the flap on mine is a bit longer than I prefer, therefore leaving more room than I care for. I also made a bad choice by ordering the removable ratchetable clip as it does stick off the waist more.

I just received mine. While I like the case overall, I find it awkward as the sleeper magnet is at one end only. As I do wear it on my left side, the blackberry has to be pointing towards my back for the magnet to work.

It means twisting the 8700c before putting it in the case. I guess I will get used to it but right now it feels awkward. How hard would it have been to place a magnet at both ends especially as this is a premium priced case.

Just received my Fortte Lateral Pouch for 8700. Overall nice case.

CONS: No opening to change while in case. Charging you have to remove from case or make sure you have USB port upward so that you can open snap to charge.

Have you emailed Support to see about a special order?

If you ordered a standard case they may be able to take it back into stock.

Thank you for your input. It is always important to know what customers' experieces are with our cases and this is a classic case where us engineers did not think of all the details.
We are considering installing a magnet on either side of the lateral pouches so that the situation described does not happen.
Thank you again

I did contact support. They offered to sell me a custom case with the magnet on both sides for a reduced cost. They did not offer to take back the case they sent me.

Besides the fact that the custom case would have taken weeks to arrive, I didn't feel I wanted to shell out more money for a case that wasn't designed properly the first time. If they had offered to do even a switch, I would have been happy.

But, I have sort of gotten used to the twist and flip every time I put the 8700 into the case or take it out.

is there any point to rate these fortte cases anymore? They all get 5 berries!
It should more be an advertisement for fortte then a review!

Even though the initial review is 5 berries, doesn't mean it is 5 berries for you. I woulnt rate this 5 berries because there is only a magnet on one side. For a few cents added production cost, this could have been avoided.

It is a beautiful case but in it's current configuration, only 4 berries in my book.

I wouldn't rate the one I received as 5 berries either. The fit is not as good as the StIL which I also purchased.

Let me address a couple things here.

This case is properly designed the first time. Just because it does not have extra magnets on every side of it does not mean it is ill-designed. The requirements for a working case is that is puts the BB to sleep when inserted into the case. This one does that when inserted in two different facing directions. But to make it a properly working case in your eyes it must anticipate every possible person's preference (nice alliteration...), and place magnets everywhere. Would it have been nice to do so? Yes. Is it required? No. Is it even expected? No. There isn't a single case available with magnets as you describe. I think that you should have anticipated this possibility when placing an order and asked them specifically where the magnets are and how many there are. Then you could have specifically requested extra in locations you deem necessary. That would have avoided this whole issue.

There is always a reason to rate them, not every case receives 5 berries. In the Fortte instances, they usually do because they are made with such quality and adhere to the highest standards in case design. I have reviewed tons of cases, from several different companies, and I can tell you that doing all of that testing has shown me every possible deisgn flaw imaginable. And generally, Fortte does not have these flaws. Some companies, as hard as this is to believe, do NOT have ANY magnets in them. Others design the case so that the front flap closes perfectly, when empty, but when the BB is in it it does not close well. Others have had the ratcheting clip interfering with the snap closures on the bac of the case itself, rendering the rotating feature useless! And yet others only use one color and one type of leather. And my favorite is the company we all know of that initially made cases with glue that came apart in a couple weeks! So with all that in mind, find me faulty issues with these Fortte cases that make them poorly made, I challenge you. They use top quality leather, offer TONS of color options, will customize them any way you like (when asked to, egale), have several types of clip options, are made to specific sizes based on devices (some companies make a case for several different device sizes), and are affordable. For these reasons they usually will receive the highest marks.

Lastly - these are NOT official reviews, they are only MY OPINIONS, nothing more! Please read each one carefully, analyze the info I provide, call the company yourself and ask questions, and ask me personally for further information you may have thought of in the process. I will help in any way II can to help you come to YOUR OWN conclusion about the case and it's potential to satisfy you. My opiion is not the word of God, it's just an opinion. And obviously I think Fortte makes the best cases available right now. Further, I thnk their STiL is the best one they offer, for me. I have four of them...

Seattle - egale is justified to express dissatisfaction in a universal horizontal case which allows for 4 different orientations of placing the BB into it. There is no dedicated 'top' and 'bottom' which tailor the case to only allow the BB to be inserted a certain way.

Further, Salo showed the integrity we would all like to see in an engineer, and production company, in recognizing this oversight. Now, if only my engineers could borrow Salo's spine, I'd be a much happier camper.

I have to disagree here. The case is not advertised as "right hip only". To wear it on your left side means flipping it backwards. It is an awkward thing to do. Would I even think about the case not being compatible for your left hip? Of course not. Would I ask about a custom job before ordering an otherwise ordinary case? Of course not. I didn't say it was junk nor a horribly designed product. It is missing a 2 cent magnet that was oversight by the designers. Therefore, the product doesn't deserve a perfect rating.

If a manufacturer built a tv that was supposedly top of the line which came with a remote that worked in your right hand only AND didn't advertise it as such, there would be a whole lot of left handed people upset when they found out they couldn't use their remote properly. The right hand reviewer had no problems with it and gave it a glowing rating. The left handed purchaser reads the review, buys the tv and is very annoyed. Who would ever think that a tv remote would only work in one hand.

Its the same here. I'm sure the manufacturer didn't leave out the extra magnet for spite. It was an oversite and is now a very easy manufacturing change to make. It is a feature that nobody thought about and was only brought to light once it hit the market. That's why, in my eyes, it doesn't deserve 5 berries. If you had done the review and had put the case on your left side, you probably would not have given it 5 berries either.

I love my case and I am going to keep it.

However, when they designed it they never put an 8700 into the case. Or they would have seen that none of the ports/buttons are accessible. Specifically the USB port for charging over night.

my .02

how about talking abt how the magnet is place in the front of the case...and when the leather gets used..u see a huge round shape in front of ur holster.....or the cardboard holding the case togheter gets used extremly fast and the case looses its shape...stuff like that!

That's quite possibly the worst analogy I've ever heard. By your reasoning, the BB does not go to sleep when the case is on your left hip. Certainly that's rediculous. The truth is that it goes to sleep on your left hip, just not while facing the direction you deem mandatory. There are people who have this case on their left hip who actually do not mind the extra millisecond it takes to twist it for use. Obviously you aren't one of them. As for checking with the mamnufacturer about magnet placement, if I were left-handed, I would probably get in the habit of double checking things like that since the vast majority of items made which are not totally ambidextrous in nature are made with the right-handed person in mind. But that's just me I guess.

To put this behind us once and for all - I'm very sorry I gave this case 5 berries. I have changed the rating and made adjustments to the review to reflect their huge oversight in the case's design. You're welcome.

I want to clarify something that may have been misunderstood. The product that is being discussed here is in no way flawed or ill designed or defective. When I said “this is a classic case where us engineers did not think of all the details.", it was in response to a customers' concern that an inexpensive addition to our product would make it that much better, and would satisfy some people.
With that in mind, we are considering the placement of an additional magnet on all lateral pouches for blackberries, and the reason is because we want to be THE BEST case manufacturer in the world, and we want to have THE BEST product in the market, and we want our customers to know that we DO listen to all concerns and suggestions.

As for Seattle’s review, I believe that it was correct the first time giving us 5 out of 5, because our product, (even with only one magnet) is better than anything else out there (of course I am biased). If we have 4 out of five then everyone else that has only one magnet should lose a Blackberry, don't you think? And when we place the extra magnet, may be we will get back our 5th or even get a 6th?

Salo - I certainly applaud your efforts to recognize that there are times when holding one's self to 'industry standards' simply isn't good enough any longer.

Now that I have this case, I finally understand what the hell all the fuss over the sleeper magnet is. OK, so I reverse the way I put the phone in the case, and voila! Screen put to sleep. I had to actually pull the case off my belt in order to observe the correct ways to insert the phone. LOL. Had no clue. Doesn't seem like a huge deal to me. Anyway, you're welcome for stirring up the drama again.

What I am really posting to say is I love this case. I wish I had just bucked up and ordered it right off the bat. It is exactly what I have been looking for since I got the Blackberry in May. It is the right fit, not too snug so it slips out easily, but snug enough that the Berry doesn't move around much in the case. It's gorgeous. And I love the low profile. Now what to do with three other cases I have that either don't fit or I don't like...lol.

I think I have a new favorite accessory company.

After receiving this case I unfortunately decided that its not for me.

What I did not like:

- Its nearly impossible to remove the 8700 without pushing the side convenience button (Sure, I could disable the button but I like having it).

- The clasp on the top flap comes in contact with screen when removing or replacing the 8700 using only one hand (you have to put the the 8700 face in to properly utilize the sleeper magnet).

- The fixed clip does not swivel (this is my fault as I just assumed it would).

- I found it to be a bit bulky and on the heavy side (but the leather was exceptional so this is probably the trade-off)

What I liked:

- The design is awesome

- The leather and craftsmenship are exceptional

- Fast shipping and the company is excellent overall to deal with


For me this case would be perfect with some minor mods:

- Change the bottom cutouts to accomodate removal without engaging the side convenience button.

- Change the clasp to a hidden magnet design.

- Add an option for a fixed/ racheting swivel clip (can be plastic like Rim's or Seidio's).

- Add an additional sleeper magnet.

I just recently purchased a Fortte lateral case for my 8700c with a removable ratchet clip. While I am satisfied with the quality of the case in general (I have also had issues with inserting the devise in a certain way and it not going to sleep), I am very disappointed with the quality of the removable ratchet clip that I bought as an option.

The design is awful from three perspectives -- one, it positions the case too far from the body so it catches on anything you brush up against. Two, the clip is very hard to get onto a belt or waistband due to the fact that it does not have a springloaded clip mechanism. And three, it does not stay on your belt or waistband. I recently had it fall off onto a concrete floor and ding up the corner of the BB because of the open corners on the case. As a result, I have started carrying it in my pocket because I cannot trust it to stay on my belt.

I have sent an email off to the support people to see what they will do, but have not heard back from them yet.

If anyone is contemplating purchasing one of these, I would strongly urge you to get the belt loop option to get it closer to your body and have the confidence it will stay on your belt.

I was also not happy with the removeable ratchetable clip for the same reason in addition to the case not fitting as well as I would have liked it.

I am sorry you do not like the ratchet clip we currently use but can not understand why it is not staying in your belt. I myself use one and I have never had it fall off, (and I do move around and do a lot of physical activity).

I know that our staff has already sent you a reply and all I can say is that we have customers that like the ratchet clip a lot ( I am one) and we have had customers tell us they hate it. It is all a matter of choice and that is why we have 6 options for every case and are looking to add at least two more in the near future.

Please reply to the message that our staff sent you and we will see what we can do because we are always striving for 100% customer satisfaction

My dad and I just ordered one as well. It's cheaper than a Vaja Case and still has the same quality. I have had two piel frama cases and the seem rigid, well made , but not custom. So I am hoping I feel the same way Seatlle 18 does.

If I add a Seidio skin to the 8703e, in your opinio, do you think it'll still fit into this lateral case? Thanks

i have this fortte case, and it will fit a 8703e with a skin, but it is REALLY tight and hard to get out.. i just tried

However, the naztech bravo case from bberry.com is too big for the 8700 series itself, but when used with a skin on the unit, it fits perfectly..

Thanks PSP for your reply. I guess my search goes on.

Great review Seattle18. I feel this case was given the correct score, not because the case is perfect off the line, but because with just a LITTLE effort and research (about 1/4 the time most spend reading this review) anyone could have contacted Fortte, or check their site, and seen that Fortte is probably the most consumer-oriented case-design company ever. Read some other reviews and you'll find one in particular where the reviewer asked Fortte to add a little elastic to accomodate his BB, and they did. Salo, as an employee of the company, has taken time to visit a popular forum, and actually CARE about how people feel. We see companies spend MILLIONS on marketing a product, put some of their best salesman on the floor opening day, sell out truck loads of inventory, and once that's done it's done. They don't research their customers post-purchase opinion...Why? Because they've made a product with ONLY an Investment-Return policy, meaning they get more money selling the product than they put into it. Post-sales research is an expense you will RARELY find in corporations.Trust me, I have been working in PR and Advertising the majority of my post-education life, and I know the ins & outs of marketing tactics. You will not find this kind of Quality Control (post-purchase) in many other places, and we're only talking about freaking Blackberry cases! Fortte should start making cars, that way, when I spend a years salary, I know someone will care how I feel AFTER I drive off the lot.

Thank you Salo. You gave me all the confidence I need in choosing a case. I will be ordering a Fortte case (not sure whether it'll be Lateral or Vertical) as soon as I can. I will also go ahead and forward your site to the Execs at my office to see if they are interested in them. I hope to see more great things from your company.

I have a few questions for those that have this case. I am interested in getting it for my 8703e.

1. If you place the BB with the face towards your body, does the "snap" hit your screen?

2. Is the "snap" magnetic?

3. I see in the pictures on the site that there is a cutout on the bottom of the case.

Does it now accomodate the USB charging while still in the case?

4. Is the material that is currently lining the case to your liking for screen protection? Do you forsee it fading away in a year or two?

TYIA

Baz

1. No
2. Yes
3. No
4. Yes, No (very very well made product)

On the contrary, I find that I must use special care when removing the BB from, and inserting it into the case to prevent the magnet on the flap from contacting the screen. Having said that, I would still have purchased the case; it is in all other respects an excellent example of quality and workmanship.

I have contacted Fortte, and have received a commitment that the issue will be looked into by the design team. I suggested that they consider using hidden magnets stitched between the leather and lining of the case.